Multi-beverage dispenser



Sept; 12, 1967 J. D. GORDON 3,341,077

MULTI -BEVERAGE DI SPENSER Filed Nov. .1, 1965 a Sheets- Sheet 1 Wig/WM J D. GORDON 3,341,077

MULTI -BEVERAGE DI SPENSER Sept. 12, 1967 Filed Nov. 1, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F y5 W44zw Sept. 12, 1967 J p. GORDON MULTI -BEVERAGE DISPENSER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 1, 1965 United States Patent 3,341,077 MULTI-BEVERAGE DISPENSER Julian D. Gordon, Peabody, Mass., assiguor to Jet Spray Cooler, Inc., Waltham, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 505,816 8 Claims. (Cl. 222-1291) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multi-beverage dispenser having a bowl divided into a pair of noncommunicating compartments, one for each beverage, by a thin common wall, and each compartment having an evaporator dome and a circulation system which causes the beverage in each to flow about its respective dome and over the common wall to maximize heat exchange of each beverage-with its dome and the two beverages with each other for effective cooling.

This invention relates to beverage dispensers and more particularly comprises a new and improved multi-beverage refrigerated dispenser.

Beverage dispensers of the type to which the present invention relates are commonly used in soda fountains, restaurants and other establishments which serve food to the public. This class of dispenser normally includes a transparent bowl within which the beverage is chilled by an evaporator forming part of a refrigerating system included in the dispenser as a self-contained unit. To efiiciently extract heat from the beverages, some form of circular is regularly employed in the bowl to cause the beverage to flow over and/ or about the surface of the evaporator. By moving the liquid over the evaporator the heat exchange characteristics of the device are improved.

The popularity of this type of beverage dispenser is very great, and they are now found in almost all soda fountains and snack bars which serve foods in an informal atmosphere. Their popularity has given rise to multi-beverage dispensers in which two or more beverages are contained in separate bowls on a single stand, and the beverages are dispensed independently of one another. The multi-beverage dispensers are in fact an aggregation of several independent dispensers as there is no real cooperation between the individual subunits. Moreover, the units are relatively large and no significant savings of space is realized by combining several units on a single chassis.

One important object of this invention is to improve the operation of multi-beverage refrigerated dispensers.

Another important object of this invention is to increase the cooling capacity of a multi-beverage refrigerated dispenser.

Another important object of this invention is to provide improved heat exchange characteristics in a multibeverage dispenser.

Another important object of this invention is to reduce the counter space required for a multi-beverage dispenser.

To accomplish these and other objects, the beverage dispenser of this invention includes a stand upon which is seated at single bowl having a pair of noncommunicating compartments separated by a single common wall. Each compartment is designed to hold a beverage. Discharge spouts are provided in the bowl, one for each compartment. A refrigerating system is mounted in the stand and includes an evaporator in communication with erages.

3,341,077 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages, will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view partly in section of a beverage dispenser constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bowl of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1, with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1, with the cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the corresponding section line in FIG. 3 with the cover added; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the refrigerating system.

The dispenser shown in the drawing includes a bowl 10 mounted on a stand 12 designed to be placed upon a counter or other flat supporting surface. A pair of discharge spouts 14 are provided at the bottom of the front of the bowl for dispensing the contained beverages. Disposed beneath the discharge spouts is the usual drip tray 16. The details of the valves that control the spouts form no part of the present invention.

The bowl 10, as is evident in FIG. 2, includes a pair of side Walls 20, a rear wall 22, an upwardly and outwardly extending front wall 24, a bottom wall 26, and a central vertically extending dividing wall 28 that separates the interior of the bowl into two noncommunicating compartments 30 and 32. The central common wall 28 is somewhat tapered in an upwardly direction (see FIG. 1), and the side walls 20 and rear wall 22 are slightly flared from the other walls which facilitates removal of the bowl from the mold upon which it is made. It is evident in the drawing that the bowl is made of a plastic material, preferably a very tough plastic material such as a formaldehyde-type resin. The bowl is closed by an inner cover 32 which includes a downwardly extending rib 34 having a channel 36 in its lower edge, that receives the upper edge 38 of the common wall 28. Therefore, the compartments 30 and 32 are not in communication with one another and each may be filled separately with separate beverages without mixing them together.

The lower wall 26 of the bowl is provided with two circular openings 40, one at the rear of each compartment 30 and 32 through which the evaporators 44 in each compartment extend. About each opening 40 is a downwardly extending channel 46 that houses a gasket (not shown) that forms a seal about the edge of the evaporator dome 44 so that none of the beverage contained in the compartments may leak out through the openings underneath the edges of the openings. The bowl sits upon a drip tray 50 through which the evaporators 44 extend upwardly from the stand 12, and the gaskets form a seal between the bowl, refrigerating dome and drip tray. The details of the gasket form no part of the present invention and are the subject matter of copending application Ser. No. 434,306 filed Feb. 23, 1965.

A shallow well 60 is provided in the bottom wall 26 of the bowl in front of each of the openings 40, and they define in part the pump chambers of circulating pumps 62. The pump 62 is identical to that shown in Jacobs et al. Patent No. 3,206,069 dated Sept. 14, 1963 and includes a circular cap 64 preferably made of a molded plastic, disposed over the well, and the cap has a flat rim 66 which is seated about the edge of the well. The rim carries sloping upstanding projections 68 which engage under tabs 70 attached to the bowl to lock the cap in place. The cap can be removed by turning it so that notches (not shown) provided in the rim 66 register with the tabs. A voluteshaped inverted trough 72 is formed in the cap, and the cap has intake ports 74 communicating with the trough.

The cap64 has an upstanding handle portion 76 by which it may be grasped and turned for removal. A metal shaft 78 is fixed in the handle portion, for example by molding or pressing the shaft into the cap material. A circular impeller 80 is rotatably suspended on the shaft and carries pump vanes 82 which are disposed in the trough 72. The impeller is preferably made of molded plastic and has a magnet 84 encased in its lower portion. The cap has a discharge opening 86 communicating with the trough 72, surrounded by a collar 87 in which a stand pipe 88 is mounted, and also has an auxiliary discharge port 90. A second magnet (not shown) is mounted outside the bowl 10 directly beneath the well 60 within the stand 12, and may be rotatably driven by a motor within the stand. The two magnets are so polarized that the magnet in the stand drives the magnet84 was to rotate the impeller 80. The beverage in the tank is thus drawn in through the ports 74 and pumped through the trough 72 up through the stand pipe 88 into the upper part of the tank, and out through the port 90 when the pump is running. The beverage discharged from the upper end 89 of the stand pipe impinges upon the downwardly concave inner cover 32 and flows downwardly from the cover on the side walls 20, rear wall 22, front wall 24 and the common wall 28. Simultaneously, beverage discharged through port 90 causes a turbulence in the beverage within each compartment, and the beverage tends to circulate about the evaporator dome 44. Thus, there is an effective heat exchange between the beverage circulating in each compartment and the evaporator dome. Further, as is described in greater detail below, a heat exchange relationship is created through the common wall 28 between the two beverages in the separate compartments.

In accordance with the preferred form of this invention, the pump in each compartment is operated continuously so that the beverage in each compartment is continuously circulated about the evaporator dome and sprayed upon the surface of the cover. This continuous operation has many advantages. First, the continuously circulating beverage does not have an opportunity to separate as is often caused by the settling of the heavier particles in certain fruit juices. Rather, the continuous agitation of the beverage keeps it thoroughly mixed and the heavy particles suspended. Second, the continuous circulation of the beverage about the cold dome causes an eflicient transfer of heat from the beverage through the dome to the refrigeration coils inside. Consequently, the tendency for frost to build up on certain portions of the dome due to dead areas about the dome is eliminated.

In FIG. the refrigeration system (which includes the two evaporators 44) is shown schematically. The refrigeration system is contained within the stand and includes a compressor 100 and condensor 102 in series with the two evaporator domes. The coils in one dome are not connected in series with those in the other, but rather, half the turns 104 of the evaporator tubing are provided in one dome, and thereafter all the turns 106 are wound in the other dome, and then the second half of the turns 108 are Wound in the first dome. A thermostatic element 110 is provided in the first dome to sense the temperature of the refrigerant as it leaves that evaporator. The thermostatic element is so connected that when the refrigerant is above a certain temperature the system is rendered operative.

From the foregoing description it is evident that substantial cooperation exists between the operation of the two parts of the dispenser. Very important is the cooperation which is achieved because of the configuration of the bowl 10.

First, it is evident that each compartment has but three outside walls through which heat may be absorbed by the beverages within the respective compartments, unlike the prior art devices which have separate bowls for each beverage and therefore suffer losses through four outside walls.

Second, the two refrigerated beverages cooperate to reduce the temperature of the warmer beverage. For example, ordinarily the beverage in one compartment runs out before the other, and the operator then fills that compartment with an unrefrigerated beverage which must be cooled before it is served. The evaporator dome in that compartment of course withdraws heat from that beverage, but in addition, heat is also transferred from the warmer beverage through the common wall 28 to the beverage in the other compartment. The transfer through the common wall 28 is most efficient because of the large area of contact with the common wall by the beverages and because of the constant flow of the liquids over that wall due to the circulation caused by the pump and the fountain effect from the stand pipe. The common wall is of course cold due to the contact with the cold drink on the other side of the common wall.

Third, because a demand for cooling sensed in either bowl by the thermostatic elements causes each evaporator to operate, the heat exchange characteristics through the common wall are enhanced when either beverage is warm. That is, the warm beverage not only gives up heat to the evaporator within its own compartment, but in addition it gives up heat through the common wall to the other beverage, and that heat is carried away through the evaporator in the other compartment.

Fourth, the elimination of the space between the two bowls reduces the overall size of the dispenser. It is obvious that with an air gap between two independent bowls, a larger base is required, and a larger base in turn takes up more counter space which may in turn reduce the number of customers that may be served at the counter.

A reading of the foregoing description will suggest to those skilled in the art numerous modifications that may be made of this invention. Consequently, it is not intended to limit the breadth of this invention to the single embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. In a beverage dispenser a stand,

a bowl seated on the stand and having a pair of noncommunicating compartments separated by a single common wall, each compartment designed to hold a beverage,

discharge valves provided in the bowl, one for each compartment dispensing the beverages,

a refrigeration system mounted in the stand including evaporator surfaces in communication with each of the compartments for cooling the contained beverages,

and a circulating pump disposed in each compartment for circulating the beverage contained in each in contact'with the evaporator surface to abstract heat from each beverage,

each of said pumps having an outlet which causes the beverage to move against the surface of the common wall causing the transfer of heat from the warmer to the cooler beverage through the common wall.

2. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 1,

said refrigeration system including a thermostatic element operatively associated with each compartment,

and means responsive to a demand from the element for activating each of the evaporator surfaces.

3. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 2,

said evaporator surfaces each having coils connected with a portion of the coils of one surface in series with at least a portion of the coils of the other surface, and said coils of said other surface being in 5 turn connected in series with additional coils of said one surface,

said thermostatic element being disposed in heat sensing relationship with the coils of one of said surfaces.

4. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 1,

separate discharge spouts connected to each compartment at the front of the bowl,

said bowl being made of transparent plastic material,

and said common wall extending from the front to the rear of the bowl between the discharge spouts.

5. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 4,

said bowl comprising a generally fiat bottom, and a dome-shaped cover,

said common wall extending vertically upwardly from the bottom wall,

an opening in the bottom of each compartment,

the evaporator surfaces communicatin with each com.

partment through their respective openings,

said circulating pumps being disposed adjacent the evaporator surfaces in each compartment.

6. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 5,

said outlet including a stand pipe disposed in each compartment with its upper end closely adjacent the dome-shaped cover, whereby at least part of the beverage discharged from the stand pipe runs down from the domeshaped cover and over the common wall.

7. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 6,

means mounted in the stand for continuously running each of the pumps.

8. In a beverage dispenser as defined in claim 5,

said evaporator surfaces being in the form of domes that extend upwardly through the openings in the bottom of each compartment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,608,724 11/1926 Cox 222l58 1,954,518 4/ 1934 Downer 62-390 2,515,767 7/1950 Fibus 62-390 3,044,666 7/ 1962 Dyer 222386.5 3,119,531 1/1964 Jacobs 222318 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. IN A BEVERAGE DISPENSER A STAND, A BOWL SEATED ON THE STAND AND HAVING A PAIR OF NONCOMMUNICATING COMPARTMENTS SEPARATED BY A SINGLE COMMON WALL, EACH COMPARTMENT DESIGN TO HOLD A BEVERAGE, DISCHARGE VALVES PROVIDED IN THE BOWL, ONE FOR EACH COMPARTMENT DISPENSING THE BEVERAGES, A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM MOUNTED IN THE STAND INCLUDING EVAPORATOR SURFACES IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OF THE COMPARTMENTS FOR COOLING THE CONTAINED BEVERAGES, AND A CIRCULATING PUMP DISPOSED IN EACH COMPARTMENT FOR CIRCULATING THE BEVERAGE CONTAINED IN EACH IN CONTACH WITH THE EVAPORATOR SURFACE TO ABSTRACT HEAT FROM EACH BEVERAGE, EACH OF SAID PUMPS HAVING AN OUTLET WHICH CAUSES THE BEVERAGE TO MOVE AGAINST THE SURFACE OF THE COMMON WALL CAUSING THE TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM THE WARMER TO THE COOLER BEVERAGE THROUGH THE COMMON WALL. 